Base attachment for telephones



May 19, 1942. w. K. MUNSON 2,283,690

BASE ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONES Filed Aug. 29, 1959 INVENTOR WHITNEY A. Mw/so/v.

ATTORNE Patented May 19, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BASE ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONES Whitney K. Munson, East Orange, N. .1. Application August 29, 1939, Serial No. 292,387

7 Claims.

This invention relates to an article of manufacture in the form of an attachment or mounting upon which the base of a conventional dial telephone may be arranged and supported; and the object of the invention is to provide an attachment of the character described in the form of a simple casing or housing, the upper surface of which is shaped to snugly receive the base of a telephone, with means tensionally engaging the telephone to support the attachment firmly in connectiontherewith so as to be movable with the telephone base when lifted or otherwise moved about; a further object being to provide two independently operable drawers with means for guiding and coupling the drawers with the attachment so as to be retained against accidental displacement therefrom when fully extended to facilitate a one hand operation thereof and consideration of or writing upon a telephone index or memo pad supported in said drawers and readily accessible through the upper open surface of the drawers; a still further object is to provide a substantially! noiseless mounting and guide for the drawers in their movement in said attachment by utilizing nonmetallic guides supported within the casing of the attachment; a still further object being to utilize the drawer guides as means for supporting the load of the telephone to relieve any stress or strain upon the shell-like walls of the casing, and still further in providing a cover or closure bottom of the casing having slightly protruding feet or leg members .with cushioning pads disposed therein to protect the surface upon which the attachment -is arranged; a still further object being to provide means at one corner portion of the attachment for vertically supporting a combination pencil and dial operating member to render the same accessible for use in calling telephone numbers and in making notations on the memo pad or sheets employed; and with these and other objects in view, the invention consists in a device of the class and for the purpose specified which is simple in construction, eflicient in use and which is constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which:

Fig. l is a transverse sectional view through an attachment made according to my invention indicating a part of a telephone base in dotted lines arranged thereon.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the attachment as seen in Fig. 1, showing one of the drawers in extended position in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the attachment, detached.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail view on the line 4-4 of Fig.3, and c Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

To illustrate the adaptation of my invention, I have illustrated in dotted lines in Figs. 1, 2 and 5 of the drawing, part of a more or less conventional telephone base I'll, the call dial ll of which is diagrammatically illustrated. These bases are usually provided with a cushion pad H at the lower surface thereof. l3 represents the usual stop hook for checking rotary movement of the dial I l.

At I4 is shown one of my improved attachments, which in the construction shown, consists of a substantially rectangular base of sheet material l5, the peripheral walls of which flare outwardly and downwardly and terminate in downwardly extending flange portions H5 at the lower edge thereof which give rigidity to said edge of the casing. The corner portions of the casing are preferably rounded as seen at I! in Fig. 3 of the drawing in order to avoid any sharp corners and further to produce a neat and finished appearance.

The casing It may be said to be in the form of an inverted dish, and as viewed in use, the top wall I8 of this casing is provided with an elliptical depression is forming a corresponding socket or recess in the upper surface of the casing for the reception of the telephone base It). The peripheral walls of the depression are tapered inwardly to a slight degree to frictionally engage the peripheral edge of the pad l2 so as to require manual pressure in inserting the pad l2 in the recess formed by the depression l9.

Spaced circumferentially of the walls of the depression l9 are four spring clips 20, which may be welded or otherwise secured in position. These clips serve to engage the pad I2 to retain the attachment against displacement from the base sufiiciently to enable the entire attachment to be lifted with the base and the otherwise movement of the base over a supporting surface. The clips 20 are set inwardly to a slight degree so as to spring outwardly when the pad I2 is inserted into the recess formed by the depression H, as is substantially indicated in Fig. 5 of the drawing.

The depressed wall part 2| of the casing has a large aperture 22 formed therein so as to render the interior of the casing accessible and further to reduce the weight of the entire attachment. The front wall of the casing l5 which is designated at l5a, is provided with a large opening 23 therein for the reception of upper and lower drawers 24 and 25 which are slidably mounted in the casing. The drawer 24 is formed from a single sheet of material folded to form a front closure wall 26, a rear wall 21 having an inturned top flange 28, a bottom wall 29 having protruding side flanges 30 which are freely slidable in upper channels 3| formed in two guide and reinforcing blocks 32. The side edges of the bottom wall 29 are also turned upwardly adjacent the front and rear ends of the drawer 24 as seen at 33 to retain a pad or independent sheets of note paper 34 against lateral displacement in the drawer, the same being otherwise retained against displacement by the front wall 26 and rear wall 21. A suitable knob 35 is provided on the front wall to facilitate opening and closing of the drawer.

The inturned upper flange 28 on the rear wall 21 of the drawer also serves as a stop limiting outward movement of the drawer 24 when in the extended position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the drawer beingsupported in an angular position as will be apparent. 'In this connection it will be noted that suflicient clearance is provided in the channels 3| to allow the drawer to assume this angular position. i The drawer 25 is much the same in structure as the drawer 24, that is to say, it is provided with a front wall 36 having a knob 39, and the bottom wall 38 has downwardly and outwardly offset flanges 39 which operate in channels 3|a in the blocks 32. Substituted for the flange 28 are downwardly extending lugs 40 which engage the front wall l5a in limiting the outward movement of the drawer 25 as will be apparent.

To the upper surface of the bottom wall 38 of the drawer is secured by gluing or otherwise, the lower sheet of a telephone index pad 4| having a suitable hinge or looseleaf binding 42 for the separate sheets of the pad at one side thereof, 50 that when the drawer 25 is fully extended, the separate sheets of the pad 4| may be quickly brought to view to note the telephone numbers that may be recorded thereon.

By mounting the drawers 24 and 25 solely or substantially solely upon the blocks 32 which are composed of non-metallic material, a silent operation of the drawers in moving the same into open and closed position will be provided. This is especially desirable when the casing H as well as the drawers are composed of metallic material. It will be understood in this connection, however, that my invention is not limited to'the use of metallic material, as in other forms of the device non-metallic casings may be employed.

The blocks 32 are secured in position by screws 43 or other fastening devices which pass through the depressed wall 2| of the top of the casing, note for example, Fig. 5 of the drawing. One corner portion of the top wall I8 of the casing is provided with an aperture 44 and the corresponding block 32 directly beneath the aperture 44 is provided with an aperture 45. These apertures serve to receive a combination pencil and dial operating member 46, the upper domed end 41 of which is utilized for the operation of the dial II. In this construction, the member 48 may be supported in readily accessible position at all'times without in any way interfering with the use of the telephone. The protruding position of the member 46 is illustrated in dot and dash lines in- Fig. 1 of the drawing for the reason that this member is located at the forward right hand comer of the casing, as will readily appear by the location of the aperture 44 in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

At 48 I have shown a bottom plate or cover for closing the lower open end of the casing I4. This cover has peripheral flanges 49 which are adapted to firmly engage the flanges I6 forming a neat and finished appearance and to further reinforce the lower edge of the casing. The cover is secured to the blocks 32 by screws or other devices 50 as indicated in Fig. 4 of the drawing. At the corner portions of the plate 48 are formed foot pad sockets 5| for receiving foot pads 52 which form supporting feet for the entire attachment, The pads 52 are composed of some soft material or fabric and protrude below the lower surface of the attachment so as to prevent destruction to a table or other surface upon which the attachment is arranged and over which the same may be moved.

It will be understood that the blocks 32 in ad- I dition to forming guides and supports for the drawers 24 and 25 and the mounting for the bottom plate 48, also serve as reinforcing or load" and durable and produces when attached to the telephone base a very neat and attractive supplemental base and an article of practical merit and utility, especially in that there is suflicient weight in the entire unit to facilitate one hand operation of the drawers 24, 25 while the receiver and transmitter are held in the other hand, and also facilitating the marking of notations on the memo pad or sheets or in selecting a phone number from one of the sheets of the index pad 4|. Another distinctive feature of my invention resides in the fact that in the use of the device on an oflice desk, memorandum notes may be kept in a concealed manner,

that is, concealed from view to those entering the room or during interviews.

In addition to providing a very practical attachment which may be used in the home, office and in other places, and sold through the usual channels, the device, by reason of the economical construction thereof, lends itself as the premium or advertising device, in which event, the memo pads or sheets and in fact the telephone index pad, may have inscribed thereon the name of an individual, firm or corporation, and such individual, firm or corporation would give the attachment away as an advertising medium, thus' placing before the user of the attachment what might be regarded as a permanent advertising medium.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A telephone base attachment comprising an inverted dish-shaped casing, the upper surface of the casing having a recess substantially conforming with the peripheral contour of and adapted to snugly engage the base of a telephone when arranged therein, means adapted to yieldably engage the telephone base when arranged in said recess to retain the casing against acci-.

dental displacement from the base, means slidably engaging the casing for supporting a pad or the like within the casing to be extended outwardly beyond one wall of the casing for accessible use thereof, means limiting outward movement of said last named means, a cover plate enclosing the bottom of said casing, said plate having a plurality of supporting feet protruding below the bottom of the casing, means disposed within the casing between the bottom plate and the bottom wall of said recess for directly supporting the load of a telephone base arranged on said casing, and said last named means forming a guide and support for the second named means.

2. A telephone base attachment of the class described comprising a substantially rectangular body having beveled peripheral walls, an elliptical socket in the upper surface of said body for the reception of a telephone base, means disposed within the socket for engaging a telephone base arranged therein to prevent accidental displacement of the attachment from said base, two reinforcing and load bearing members arranged with opposed surfaces in spaced parallel relation to each other within the attachment between the bottom of said recess and the lower portionof the attachment; opposed surfaces of said members having horizontally alined grooves forming guide channels, a drawer part slidably engaging the channels of said members and being normally contained within the attachment and adapted to be extended through one wall thereof for accessibility outwardly of said attachment, and means limiting outward movement of said drawer.

3. A telephone base attachment of the class described comprising a substantially rectangular body having beveled peripheral walls, an elliptical socket in the upper surface of said body for the reception of a telephone base, means disposed within the socket for engaging a telephone base arranged therein to prevent accidental displacement of the attachment from said base, two reinforcing and load bearing members arranged with opposed surfaces in spaced parallel relation to each other within the attachment between the bottom of said recess and the lower portion of the attachment, the opposed surfaces of said members having horizontally alined grooves forming guide channels, a drawer part slidably engaging the channels of said members and being normally contained within the attachment and adapted to be extended through one wall thereof for accessibility outwardly of said attachment, means limiting outward movement of said drawer, and means arranged beneath said members forming cushioned supporting feet for the attachment.

4. A telephone base attachment of the class described comprising a substantially rectangular body having beveled peripheral walls, an elliptical socket in the upper surface of said body for the reception of a telephone base, means disposed within the socket for engaging a telephone base arranged therein to prevent accidental displacement of the attachment from said base, two reinforcing and load bearing members arranged with opposed surfaces in spaced parallel relation to each other within the attachment between the bottom of said recess and the lower portion of the attachment, the opposed surfaces of said members having horizontally alined grooves forming guide channels, a drawer part slidably engaging the channels of said members and being normally contained within the attachment and adapted to be extended through one wall thereof for accessibility outwardly of said attachment, means limiting outward movement of said drawer, means arranged beneath said members forming cushioned supporting feet for the attachment, another drawer slidably engaging said members for extension through the first mentioned wall of said attachment, means limiting the outward movement of the last mentioned drawer, and both drawers having outer ends collectively closing a single aperture in said wall of said body.

5. A telephone base attachment of the class described comprising a substantially rectangular body having beveled peripheral walls, an elliptical socket in the upper surface bf said body for the reception of a telephone base, means disposed within the socket for engaging a telephone base arranged therein to prevent accidental displacement of the attachment from said base, two reinforcing and load bearing member arranged with opposed surfaces in spaced parallel relation to each other within the attachment between the bottom of said recess and the lower portion of the attachment, the opposed surfaces of said members having horizontally alined grooves forming guide channels, a drawer part slidably engaging the channels of said members and being normally contained within the attachment and adapted to be extended through one wall thereof for accessibility outwardly of said attachment, means limiting outward movement of said drawer. means arranged beneath said members forming cushioned supporting feet for the attachment, and said last named means including a closure plate for the bottom of the casing and detachably secured to said members.

6. A telephone index and memo pad attachment for the base of a telephone, said attachment conmprising a hollow sheet metal casing,

the upper surface of the casing having a recess within boundary walls thereof substantially conforming with the peripheral contour of the base of a telephone, yieldable means projecting into said recess for engaging the telephone base to retain the casing against displacement from the base, one wall of the casing having a large opening, two sheet metal members having laterally extending flanges, non-metallic blocks arranged in the casing between the wall having the opening therein and the opposed wall of the casing, opposed surfaces of the blocks being arranged in alignment with side walls of the casing opening and grooved to receive the flanges of said member in forming a silent support and guide for said members in the movement thereof into and out of said casing, said members having outer walls arranged in alinement with the easing wall and collectively closing the opening therein when the members are in closed position, means on each member cooperating with the casing limiting outward movement thereof.

7. A telephone index and memo pad attachment for the base of a telephone, said attachment comprising a hollow sheet metal casing, the upper surface of the casing having a recess within boundary walls thereof substantially con-- retain the casing against displacement from the base, one wall of the casing having a large opening, two sheet metal members having laterally extending flanges, non metallic blocks arranged in the casing between the wall having the opening therein and the opposed wall of the casing, opposed surfaces of the blocks being arranged in alinement with side walls of the casing opening and grooved to receive the flanges of said members in forming a silent support and guide for said members in the movement thereof into and out of said casing, said members having outer 

